Columbia Filmmakers Win Top Prizes at Sundance 2025

Update: 

This year’s Sundance Film Festival came to a close on Sunday in Park City, Utah, where Columbia filmmakers saw their projects awarded top honors.

Film alum Christopher Radcliff ’09 has brought home Sundance's Short Film Jury Award for Nonfiction in honor of his short documentary, We Were The Scenery, which traces the journey of a pair of Vietnam refugees who become extras on the set of Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. 

The film, which combines super 8 camera and SonyA7S3 footage with archival vhs shot by one of the film's subjects, was lauded by the jury for being "a wholly unique, witty, joyful perspective on art-making, the impact of film, and how they intersect with real lives."

Atropia, which was edited by former adjunct faculty member Madeleine Gavin, won the Grand Jury Prize for the U.S. Dramatic Competition. The satire, written and directed by Hailey Gates, follows an actress at a role-playing facility for U.S. troops during the height of the Iraq War, and the unscripted crush she develops on one of the “insurgents.” 

Also winning big was Sorry, Baby, claiming the Waldo Screenwriting Award for Eva Victor, who wrote, directed, and starred in a surprising and charming portrait of a woman recovering from sexual assault. Columbia’s Joshua M. Cohen ’14 served as post-production supervisor on the project.

The Directing Award in the U.S. Documentary Competition went to filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir for The Perfect Neighbor, produced by Sam Bisbee (CC ’90). The straight-from-the-headlines story reveals the dark side of Florida’s “stand your ground” laws in its depiction of a volatile neighbor turning violent.   

The Wedding Banquet, a modern update of the Ang Lee classic, saw producer Joe Pirro receive the Sundance Institute Amazon MGM Studios Producers Award for Fiction. The new take on the 1993 romantic comedy follows a gay man marrying a lesbian friend for a green card, only to have his unknowing grandmother show up and throw them an elaborate Korean wedding banquet. Professor of Professional Practice James Schamus was a writer and producer on both the new version and the original.

See the full list of this year’s winners here.

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Original: December 18, 2024

Columbia alumni, students, and faculty can be found up and down the lineup for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Held annually in Park City, Utah, this year’s festival runs from January 23 to February 2, 2025. 

The storied festival has long been the standard-bearer for independent film and emerging voices, helping to launch the careers of filmmakers as varied as Alfonso Cuarón, Ryan Coogler, Catherine Hardwicke, and countless others.

Film alum James Mangold '99 will receive high honors at this year's Sundance Film Festival Gala on January 24, where he will accept the Trailblazer Award in recognition for his dedication and achievements in cinema. 

“James’ career reflects the heart of filmmaking: bold and authentic storytelling," said Amanda Kelso, Acting CEO of Sundance Institute. "His connection to the Sundance Institute, from his early days as a participant in our artist programs to his groundbreaking work as a director, has left a lasting impact on the film community."

“Sundance has been many things in my life," said Mangold. "A far away dream on a mountain, a laboratory at which I developed the script for Cop Land, a festival at which I debuted Heavy, my first feature, and later, a place I have proudly mentored talented young filmmakers. I am floored and flattered that Sundance thought my body of work was worthy of this honor.”

Columbia affiliated offerings at the festival include five films in the main competition categories. In the U.S. Dramatic Competition is Atropia, edited by former adjunct faculty Madeleine Gavin. Set in 2006, the satire tells the story of an aspiring actress who takes a job role-playing Iraqis in a training simulation for U.S. troops.

Also in Dramatic Competition is Bunnylovr, executive produced by Tony Yang ’20. The drama follows a Chinese-American online sex worker as she balances a troubling relationship with a client, and a new relationship with her estranged father.

Another film balancing the dynamic of father-daughter relationships, Omaha sees a troubled father hit the road with his two young children in the wake of a family tragedy. John Foss ’13 served as co-producer and line producer on the drama. 

Wrapping up the Dramatic Competition for Columbia is Sorry, Baby, a portrait of a grad student’s ongoing recovery from sexual assault, even as her wit and charm bring comedy to everyday life. Joshua M. Cohen ’14 acted as post-production supervisor on the project.

The U.S. Documentary Competition features The Perfect Neighbor, produced by Sam Bisbee (CC ’90). Told using police body cam footage and interviews, the film investigates the real-life consequences of Florida’s “stand your ground” laws when an unruly neighbor turns violent. 

Also at the festival is BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions, screening in the Next category, which highlights “works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling.” Written by Professor of English and Comparative Literature Saidiya Hartman and Irvin Hunt (GSAS ’14), the inventive feature explores consciousness, time, and identity, as a mysterious journalist goes undercover on an international cruise liner.

In the Premieres category, which showcases both fiction and nonfiction, Columbia has a wide presence. In All That’s Left of You, a Palestinian mother recounts the day her teenage son confronted Israeli soldiers at a protest, and the family history that led to the events. The film is the third feature from director Cherien Dabis ’04 (who also writes, produces, and stars in the film), and also her third to screen at Sundance. 

Also in the category is The Wedding Banquet, a modern reimagining of Ang Lee’s 1993 classic, which features the writing and producing of Professor James Schamus, who also wrote and produced the Lee original. The new version follows a gay man who agrees to help his friend with in vitro fertilization for her female partner in exchange for a green card marriage for him; but all bets are off when his grandmother throws the “couple” a full-tilt Korean wedding banquet. 

Wedding Banquet isn’t the only film in the category with a fresh take on a beloved story. Kiss of the Spider Woman, from writer, director, and executive producer Bill Condon (CC ’76), is an adaptation of the 1993 Broadway musical of the same name, itself an adaptation of the 1976 novel by Manuel Puig (which was also turned into an Oscar-winning 1985 film). Condon’s new spin stars Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna as prisoners in Argentina’s Dirty War who find mutual solace in recounting a favorite Hollywood musical. Condon previously had a film at the 1998 festival before going on to direct a pair of Twilight films and Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast. 

Another film in Premieres with an eye on the past is Peter Hujar’s Day, written and directed by former Adjunct Professor Ira Sachs. The film, starring Ben Whishaw in the titular role, follows a day in the life of photographer Peter Hujar, offering an intimate glimpse into the highs and lows of the New York City art scene circa 1974.

Also screening in the Premieres category is Move Ya Body: The Birth of House, from director Elegance Bratton (GS ’14). The documentary charts the story of Vince Lawrence, who overcame a difficult upbringing in a segregated Chicago to record the first house song and kickstart a global movement.

And lastly, another story of a musician, It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley paints a picture of the influential performer using footage and recordings taken before his untimely death in 1997. Columbia’s ​Sushant Chaudhary '21 served as assistant editor on the archival project.

Columbia filmmakers also have two features in the colorful Midnight category, described appropriately as films that will keep you “wide-awake and on the edge of your seat.” Together, produced by Erik Feig (CC ’92), tells the tale of a struggling couple’s move to the country, and the supernatural encounter that adds body-horror to their list of grievances. Alison Brie and Dave Franco star as the couple in crisis.

Also in Midnight is Didn’t Die, written, directed, and produced by Meera Menon (CC ’06). Set in quarantine during a zombie apocalypse, the story follows a podcaster who learns she has more to worry about than her dwindling listener-base when an ex-boyfriend arrives with a baby in hand.

In Sundance’s Spotlight category, which features films that have played across the globe, is April, from director Dea Kulumbegashvili ’18 and producer Ilan Amouyal '17. The film follows an obstetrician in Eastern Georgia facing severe scrutiny after an infant’s death. Sundance is just the latest stop for the film that has played an impressive number of top festivals, including the Venice International Film Festival in September, where it won the Special Jury Prize.

Last and certainly not least, Columbia has a pair of films selected in the shorts categories. In U.S. Fiction is Unholy, written and directed by Undergraduate Film student Daisy Friedman (BC), and produced by fellow Undergraduate student Arielle Friedman (GS) and recent graduate Isaak Popkin (CC ’24). It tells the story of Noa, who attends her family’s Passover Seder with a newly installed feeding tube, further complicating an already fraught family gathering.

In Nonfiction is We Were the Scenery, directed by Christopher Radcliff ’09. The stranger-than-fiction documentary follows a pair of Vietnam refugees in 1975 who dock in the Philippines, where they become background extras in Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam War epic, Apocalypse Now.  

Also making a splash in Park City this year was the Diversity and Inclusion Film Festival (DIFF), hosting a series of panels, presentations, and events from January 24 to 27 to coincide with Sundance. Aimed to further opportunities for diverse voices in front of and behind the camera, the DIFF team is led by founder Sola Fasehun ’15, and includes fellow film alums Caroline Parker Boyd ’17 (Accessibility Coordinator) and Eric 'Asha' Shahinian ’16 (Festival Coordinator).

Can’t make it to Park City? You can still check out some of the great work being done by Columbia filmmakers. Tickets for this year’s lineup are available for in-person attendance and online viewing here.